Psychology Facts: Are Personality Tests Reliable?

Personality tests are being used by major corporations to assess the quality and credibility of their applicants or employees. Though it is already widely used, its reliability is still being questioned. Should companies rely on personality tests when it comes to choosing their employees?

Annie Murphy Paul, the author of "The Cult of Personality," highlighted the inaccuracies of basing one's capabilities on personality tests. Paul cited on NPR that these tests are structured like one's daily horoscope or dream analysis. Thus, its credibility is highly questionable.

One of the tests that was cited is the popular Myer-Briggs Type Indicator which is inspired by one of the famous psychologists, Carl Jung. It was mentioned that personality tests is not reliable as one's personality constantly change. It was also highlighted that the questions being asked on the tests are usually self-assessed wherein it is specific on how the person sees himself, and not who the society sees him.

In a report titled "Validity and Reliability of Personality Assessments" published in Boundless, each test was discussed, including their reliability and validity. It was then mentioned that not all personality tests are considered valid, as it usually depends on where you would use it.

Wall Street Journal then discussed that some major corporations have negative feedback when it comes to using personality tests in measuring their employees credibility. It was mentioned that the tests would often result to hiring the wrong people.

One of the companies who stopped using personality tests for their recruitment process was Whole Foods, wherein the company's recruitment team focused too much on the personality tests, that the people they hired lacked appropriate skills for food preparation.

The use of personality tests varied per company, but as of this date, most corporations already opted to eliminate personality testing when it comes to their recruitment process. Do you think personality tests are reliable? Let us know your thoughts through the comment section below.